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NDP leader Jagmeet Singh could not bring himself to denounce the violence committed against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week.

After a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and AFC Ajax on Thursday, Israeli fans were attacked in the street, beaten and chased by several mobs. Men on scooters drove through the city looking for Israelis to attack, according to reports. Five Israelis were hospitalized.

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“I strongly condemn the violence that took place in Amsterdam yesterday. All perpetrators must be held accountable. No one, no one should be subjected to violence or discrimination based on their nationality, religion, ethnicity or beliefs.” Sing on Twitter the next day.

“Violence is wrong. Shouting anti-Arab songs is wrong. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism must be fought. We cannot let hate win. We all have a lot of work to do to build a safer world.”

For Singh, it was just “the violence that happened”. Written in the passive voice, it is as good as saying “clashes broke out” or “glass broke”. Of course, he talks about attacking Jews and Israelis, but the word “Jew” or “Israeli” does not even appear in his statement.

Either he can’t bring himself to say “Jew” in a tweet, or he knows something the rest of us don’t. It is, to paraphrase the Harry Potter series, They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Singh clearly knew these were large-scale anti-Semitic attacks, even if he didn’t know it at the time a coordinated pogrom.

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He writes that “Shouting anti-Arab songs is wrong,” and it certainly is. But it’s also wrong, on a whole different level, to hunt down and beat up innocent sports fans. And it is compounded by the fact that these crimes were clearly motivated by hate.

By broadening the discussion to include Islamophobia and “anti-Palestinian racism,” Singh dilutes the specific issue at hand—targeted anti-Semitic attacks. Why not mention anti-Christian hatred, anti-Hindu hatred and anti-Sikh hatred? Let’s not leave anyone out.

Anytime in the future when hatred or violence is targeted at any of these groups, Singh should mention them all by name to avoid inconsistency. But what are the Vegas odds of that happening?

The clichés “We can’t let hate win” and “We all have a lot of work to do to build a safer world” are little more than namby-pamby platitudes, catchphrases and airy nonsense. political speech. They’re just a little less cheesy than Justin Bieber’s, “Yeah, you got that delicious-yum, that delicious-delicious.”

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For the sake of the experiment, I asked Perplexity.ai the following about 15 minutes after Singh posted his tweet: “I want you to take all the information available about the attacks on Jews and Israelis in Amsterdam on the evening of November 7th. Then I want you to write an example tweet for X as if you were a leading Canadian politician and condemn the attacks.”

The response he spat out was: “Deeply disturbed by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam. Such violence against Jews does not occur in our world. Canada stands firmly against hate and calls on the Dutch authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. #NeverAgain.”

Artificial intelligence fared better. So did other political leaders.

“The violence against Israeli citizens in Amsterdam recalls the darkest hours of history. I strongly condemn it and express my sympathy for those injured. France will continue to fight relentlessly against atrocious anti-Semitism,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote: “The news from Amsterdam last night is terrible. This is a dark time for our world – and one we’ve seen before. My heart goes out to the victims and to the entire Jewish community today. Canada condemns this disgusting anti-Semitism.”

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Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre responded MP Melissa Lantsman tweeted, “The scenes on the streets of Amsterdam tonight are absolutely horrific. This is what the ‘globalization of the intifada’ looks like,” adding that the attacks were “abhorrent” and that “Jews are being hunted in Europe days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht. It’s never now.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer retweeted Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who wrote: “I am appalled by last night’s anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens in Amsterdam. My thoughts are with those injured, their families and all those affected. I wholeheartedly condemn these heinous acts of violence and stand with the Israeli and Jewish people around the world.”

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the attackers as “anti-Semitic hit-and-run squads” and said her city had been “deeply affected” by a night of “unbearable” violence. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the “vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam”.

It is somehow reassuring, in a way, that at a time when the Jewish community feels so abandoned by so many elected officials and outraged by their continued silence, government representatives at various levels, in numerous countries, they stood firmly against anti-Semitism – unequivocally, unanimously and without moral equivalence.

New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh, however, not so much.

National Post

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